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VANCOUVER - It has been a good-news, bad-news kind of week for Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Cassels.

First the good news, which is what Cassels is preferring to dwell on. The Canucks announced Wednesday they have signed the 18-year-old to an entry-level contract.

“It’s been in the works for a bit,” the Oshawa Generals centre said over the phone Wednesday. “Monday was the official day I signed it. I guess it went through the league.

“It’s very exciting and I am very honoured to officially be part of the organization. It was a pretty good experience at main (training) camp and I’m happy my hard work paid off.”

Now the bad news. The United States released its preliminary 26-man roster for the World Junior tourney on Wednesday and Cassels’ name wasn’t on it.

As a dual citizen who was born in Columbus, Ohio, Cassels is eligible to play for the U.S. and had his fingers crossed that he might get an invitation.

“Their preliminary roster came out today and I wasn’t on it,” he said. “With the start I had I thought I had a good enough chance, but you can’t really tell what is going to happen. It’s not the end of the world.”

That good start has been put on hold by a recent lower-body injury. Having already missed five games, Cassels sat out again Wednesday night when the Generals met the Belleville Bulls.

“‘It’s just a lower-body injury that happened in practice,” he said. “Some things went the wrong way and it hasn’t really gotten back to normal and now it is. I have skated the past three days and it’s felt pretty good, almost 100 per cent. I am hoping to get back in on Friday.”

Cassels has 12 goals and 28 points in 24 games this season for the Generals, who lead the OHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 21-7-0-1. Eight of Cassels’ 12 goals have come on the power play.

One of the first people he called about his new contract was his dad, Andrew, whose long NHL career included three seasons with the Canucks.

“He is very excited for me and thinks it is a huge accomplishment. I just have to keep playing hockey now. It is kind of a weight off your shoulders, I guess, but now it’s your time to prove that you earned that contract.”

Cassels was selected in the third round (85th overall) at this past summer’s entry draft and had a solid training camp before being sent back to his junior team.

“He is a good two-way centre who plays with a certain amount of grit,” Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman said Wednesday. “He is a point-per-game player in the OHL and we think he is going to continue to evolve. He has the ability to become an NHL player.”

Cassels' contract was initially rejected by the NHL due to a technicality involving an unattainable games-played bonus. Gilman said late Wednesday the contract has been revised and sent back to the league and Cassels' agent.

DEFENSIVE DILEMMA: If defenceman Alex Edler can’t play Friday night, it looks like Andrew Alberts will draw into the Canuck lineup.

The Canucks did not recall anyone from their Utica farm team on Wednesday, with Frank Corrado being the obvious choice. That either means they think Edler might be able to play on Friday, when the Phoenix Coyotes pay a visit, or that they plan to use Alberts.

Edler appeared to suffer some kind of leg injury in the first period of Tuesday night’s 3-1 win in Nashville. The Canucks have said he is day-to-day.

Alberts has played in only three games this season, averaging just 4:16 of ice time. He is the only extra defenceman on the current Canuck roster.

POWER SURGE: Besides the three wins, the biggest positive of the Canucks’ recently concluded four-game road trip was the fact their power play continues to show signs of life. The Canucks now have scored with the man advantage in six straight games.

Their power play, not long ago the worst in the league, has climbed its way to 26th at 14.1 per cent. Not where they want to be, but at least things are heading in the right direction.

The importance of a good power play is evident with a look at the current standings. Heading into Wednesday night’s play, the bottom eight teams in the power-play rankings -- including the Canucks -- were all below the playoff bar in their respective conferences.

HOME COOKING: Only one Western Conference team (Chicago, with 11) has more road wins than the 10 the Canucks have. It’s their record at home that has the Canucks where they are in the standings (9th in the Western Conference, 5th in the Pacific Division).

At 5-5-3, the Canucks have lost three more games than they have won at Rogers Arena. Only Edmonton (3), and Dallas and Calgary (both with 4) have fewer home wins among Western teams than the Canucks.

The Canucks hope to remedy that home record when they begin a five-game homestand Friday night against the Coyotes. Games against Colorado, Carolina, Edmonton and Boston complete the homestand.

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